Production Data

1. Overview

A production order requires the following production data in our software:

BOM (Bill of Materials): A table of components to be assembled and their technical data. Accepted file formats: .xslx, .xls, .csv, .ods
Gerber layer files: Files that define the PCB, including copper layers, drill holes, solder masks and silk screen. Accepted file formats: .gbr, .drl, .pos, .gtl, .gts, .gto, .gtp, gbl, .gbs, .gbo, .gbp
Gerber job file (optional): A file that provides information about the layers and the structure of the PCB to simplify the ordering process. Accepted format: .gbrjob.
Component placement coordinates (optional): A table that specifies the exact positions of the components on the PCB for automatic placement.
Additional files (optional): Any other files that may be useful for the production and assembly of the printed circuit board, such as assembly instructions, technical drawings, data sheets or test protocols. Accepted formats: any file format (.pdf, .png, .jpg, .docx, ...).
The file types are automatically recognized by our software based on the file extension and file name. The recognized file types are explicitly indicated after recognition and can then still be changed manually.

2. Printed Circuit Board data & Gerber Job

If a Gerber Job file is provided and recognized or set manually, our software imports all data from it. This also includes the layer assignment of the Gerber files. If no Gerber Job is provided, the layer assignment is done automatically based on the file extension and file name. This layer assignment is also explicitly displayed and can be changed manually at any time.

PCB format specifications

The following file formats are supported:

Printed circuit board: Gerber (.gbr): Drill files (.drl), position files (.pos), top copper (.gtl), top solder mask (.gts), top legend (.gto), top solderpaste stencil (.gtp), bottom copper (.gbl), bottom solder mask (.gbs), bottom legend (.gbo), bottom solderpaste stencil (.gbp).
Gerber job: .gbrjob

3. Bill of Materials (BOM)

The component data from the bill of materials (BOM) is recognized by detecting the rows and columns.

BOM data recognition

This data recognition process consists of three steps, where all table cells are checked for keywords.

Header row: The row with the most keywords found (see below) is recognized as the header row. Automatic data recognition only works if the two necessary keywords are found: identifier and manufacturer number (MPN).
First row & last row: Below the header row, the first and last filled cell in the “Identifier” column is recognized. All rows within this range are automatically read in as components.
Ignored rows: Rows in which neither the “Identifier” nor the “MPN” cells are filled are ignored and not read in as components.

The following must be noted:

Keyword order of alternative MPNs/manufacturers: If there are several “MPN” keywords, the column order from left to right determines the assignment of the selected MPN column markers and their first and second alternatives. The same applies to the keyword “manufacturer” and its alternatives.
Upper and lower case: Keywords are treated equally in terms of capitalization (upper and lower case).
Special characters for keywords: All special characters in keywords are ignored.
Binary values: The following binary data in the columns “Generic”, “Do not place”, “Provided” are automatically recognized: “yes”/“no”, “y”/“n”, “true”/“false” and the corresponding written-out forms, e.g. “place”/“do not place”.

BOM format requirements

Accepted file formats: Microsoft Excel (.xslx, .xls), Comma-Separated-Values (.csv), OpenDocument Spreadsheet (.ods)
CSV separator: Comma (“,”) and semicolon (“;”) can be used to separate the individual columns in CSV data
Identifier separator: Comma (“,”) and semicolon (“;”) can be used to separate multiple identifiers. This identifier separator must be different from the CSV separator.

BOM keywords and their synonyms

The following keywords with alternative spellings are used in the automatic recognition of the columns:

Designator (required): Reference, Schematic, Ref, Parts, Component Reference, RefDes, Ref Designator
Manufacturer Part Number (MPN; required): Part Number, MPN, Part no, MFR pn, MFG part
Manufacturer: MFR, MFGR
Quantity: QTY, QNT, Number of Parts, Amount, Count
Description: Info, Note
Generic
Do not place: Dont Place, DNP, Not to Place
Provided
Device Type: Device, Type
Package: Case, Packaging, Footprint, Housing, Enclosure
Electric Value: Value
Tolerance: Tol
Max. Voltage: Voltage

4. Component placement (CPL)

The data for the components is recognized from a Component Placement List (CPL) by analyzing the rows and columns based on defined keywords, similar to the components.

CPL recognition process

This process for recognizing the placement data also consists of three steps in which all table cells are checked for relevant keywords:

Header row: The row in which the most keywords (see below) are found is recognized as the header row. For the automatic data recognition to work correctly, the keywords “Identifier”, “x-position”, “y-position”, and “Rotation” must be found.
First and last row: The first and last filled cell in the “Identifier” column is recognized below the header row. All rows within this range are automatically read in as placement data.
Ignored rows: Rows that do not contain “Identifier”, “x-position”, “y-position” or “Rotation” are ignored and not processed as placement data.

The following must be taken into account:

Upper and lower case: Keywords are recognized regardless of capitalisation (uppercase and lowercase).
Special characters in keywords: Special characters within keywords are ignored.

CPL format specifications

Accepted file formats: Microsoft Excel (.xslx, .xls), Comma-Separated-Values (.csv), OpenDocument Spreadsheet (.ods)
CSV separator: Comma (“,”) and semicolon (“;”) can be used to separate the individual columns in CSV data
Decimal separator: Comma (“,”) and period (“.”) are supported as decimal points, but must not be the same as the CSV separator.
Decimal unit: Accepted units are millimeters (mm), micrometers (µm), inches (inch) and mil (1/1000 inch).

CPL keywords and their synonyms

The following keywords and their alternative spellings are used for the automatic detection of the columns:

Designator: reference, schematic, ref, parts, component reference, refdes, ref designator
X Coordinate: X Coordinate, X Coord, Pos X, Position X, X Axis, X Value,
Y Coordinate: Y Coordinate, Y Coord, Pos Y, Position Y, Y Axis, Y Value
Rotation (optional): Rotation, Angle, Rotation, Alignment, Rot, Orientation
Side: Layer, Side